A few hours later, back inside the cave, Baihe sat cross-legged on the bed mediating. Her usually calm and rational mind was greatly unsettled by the surge of illogical feelings. She gently probed inside her space to assess Qian’s condition, but the bird was still half dead.

It was then Baihe came to realize her own condition; most of her injuries were gone. By logic, her wounds were so severe that she should be greeting Hades by now. How did this happen?

Her mind drifted to a handsome man with an elegant countenance and the cranky feeling she suppressed through mediation arose once more. Baihe was pissed at her own body. Due to her protesting hormones, Bahie wondered if she needed to get laid.

It was at this moment she sensed another presence inside the cave with her. Baihe’s body stiffened as she turned around to look at the intruder and anger flared in her heart.

“Why hello there, Mr. Genius omnipotent stalker. Why are you back?” Baihe asked in cool, modulated tone.

Fenglong did a double take when he realized her gaze was downright disparaging. Seeing the frustration hidden behind her dark eyes, a knowing smile tugged on his lips. Baihe’s expression sank. She smelled trouble from that mischievous smile of his, but before she could dwell on it any longer, his figure flashed and he was suddenly in front of her.

An enchanting pair of dark pupils stared attentively at her while he cupped her cheeks; the two faces leaning very close to each other. “Did you miss me already? Is that why you’re so cranky?” Fenglong teased in a magnetic voice.

Hearing those words, Baihe’s face turned dark; she tightly knitted her brows as he deliberately tried to become intimate with her. Baihe maneuvered out of his grip, widening the distance between them before the scoundrel could take any more liberty with her. A deep, seductive chuckle filled the cave, echoing within the interior and sending a shiver through Baihe.

“It seems like the life-saving pill I fed you was really capable of bringing someone back from the brink of death.”

Hope sprung in Baihe’s heart and her eyes flickered with a luminous radiance. “Do you have another life-saving pill for my phoenix?” Baihe asked.

Fenglong stared at Baihe as unhappiness flitted past his congealed eyes. The woman continued to wait for his reply with hope and eagerness. His expression became gloomier and ultimately, Fenglong swept his gaze aside and spoke in a peculiar tone: “Benwang doesn’t have any more!”

Baihe clearly detected the anger in his voice and suspected he was purposely giving her a hard time. Understanding how there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, Baihe spat: “Name your price.”

The corner of his mouth exposed a grim smile. Something acidic and sour filled his heart. Fenglong looked at Baihe with a cynical light in his eyes. Did this woman think pills were like candies? The two continued to stare at one another, neither of them giving an inch. They were at an impasse, until they weren’t.

“Apothecaries are rare in this world, pills even more so. The life-saving pill Benwang gave you was of the highest quality refined by a master apothecary. It was the only one left for me by my deceased mother. Tell me, do you think Benwang still have another rare pill for your bird? Even if I do, what can a woman like you possibly give me in exchange? Power? Wealth? Status? As the nephew of Emperor Feng and the conferred prince, I lack none of those.”

His words were sharp and unyielding. Baihe flinched slightly from his tone, but something warm also settled over her heart; she could feel the barely suppressed anger in his voice and knew she had went too far. Fenglong had given her something precious left behind by his deceased mother and she had been ungrateful.

A trace of awkwardness appeared on her face. Baihe detested these situations the most because she wasn’t equipped to dealing with good deeds. Just as Baihe was thinking of how to respond, his magnetic voice echoed throughout the cave once more.

“If I’m not wrong, that dumb bird has been infected with a virus emitted by the warrior snow mermaid. The virus will cause him to go crazy and the contractor will suffer a backlash along with him; however….” Fenglong observed the unharmed woman before him. “Considering how you’re not acting like a mad wild cat, the bird must had sealed himself using his remaining strength and went into a deep slumber to prevent you from getting harmed.”

His deduction made Baihe alarmed. If she were to make a comparison to modern-day, the virus would be most similar to rabies but deadlier. Recalling the fragile image of the phoenix, Baihe scrunched her brows. A trace of concern appeared in her eyes.

This whole time, Fenglong had been paying attention to her every little movement, so how could he not have noticed the slight change in her eyes? An uncomfortable feeling swept over him, mixed with anger and something else he couldn’t exactly define.

“If you want to save him, you’ll need to participate in the second half of the Feng Martial Tournament and earn a spot into the World Martial Event representing the Feng Empire. It takes place in a unique location, requiring all the emperors to converge every three years to unlock the entrance to the World Martial Event. Each empire will only send out their best talents to participate,” Fenglong explained in a cold voice.

Baihe knitted her brows. How would that save her phoenix? Seeing her adorable face knotted up in confusion, the anger in Fenglong’s heart abated and his tone became gentler.

“18 years ago, the mermaids suddenly opened their doors to the humans and laid down the rules to enter their domain. The final participants from various empires will be granted an audience with the Mermaid King. The mermaids are known to be the best apothecaries — adept in pills and proficient in medicines. Their identity is special and their position is deeply rooted since their appearance.”

With his explanation, Baihe finally understood what needed to be done. She must find a way to get an audience with the Mermaid King and obtain another life-saving pill. Remembering the culprit behind all this, she wondered how Ming managed to get his hands on a warrior snow mermaid; however, this would further explain why the Huang family had such an enormous influence in the Feng Empire.

Dark intelligent eyes landed on the mermaid pearl necklace inside a brocade box. Could this be one of the treasures bestowed by the Mermaid King to the Feng Empire?

“Eunuch Gong is still after you, along with many other coveting eyes after your phoenix. With your meager strength, are you still going to attend the second half of the Feng Martial Tournament tomorrow?” Fenglong inquired, staring at her with his brilliant sapphire eyes.

Baihe stared back at Fenglong adamantly and replied with absolute certainty in her voice: “I will go.”

Three simple words caused a ripple to break through the stillness in his eyes, but Fenglong still retained a calm outward appearance despite the emotional turmoil clamoring inside him. “Since you have already decided, then I have nothing more to say. Be prepared when I come to collect the life debts you owe me…with interest.”

Leaving behind this tepid sentence, Fenglong walked out of the cave. It could have been her imagination, but Baihe thought she heard a current of anger beneath his tone. She watched the elegant man walk away with heavy footsteps; his desolate back lonesome as the winter snow.